Vatican official says religions must be free to contribute to peace

Published: 2007-10-08

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The only way to ensure that religions contribute to peace rather than violence is to guarantee religious freedom and promote religious education so believers understand that peace and harmony are at the core of every religion, the Vatican's foreign minister said. Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states, spoke Oct. 5 at the U.N. General Assembly's high-level dialogue on interreligious and intercultural understanding and cooperation for peace. The text of his remarks was released Oct. 6 at the Vatican. Archbishop Mamberti said Pope Benedict has taught that "faithfulness to one's own religious convictions is not expressed in violence and intolerance, but in sincere respect for others, in dialogue and in an announcement that appeals to freedom and reason while remaining committed to peace and reconciliation." While religion is a herald and source of peace, the archbishop said, it too often has been manipulated by politicians, nationalists and those seeking power.

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